Our Teachers
Principal & Director
Susan Cook
Sue Cook is Geraldine Lamb’s granddaughter. She trained at Geraldine Lamb Dance school where she was a BBO scholar. At 11 years of age, she successfully auditioned and joined the renowned Elmhurst Ballet School. She holds the teacher's certificate and Diploma of the Royal Academy of Dance and is a teaching member of the ISTD and IDTA. Sue is a Silver Swans Licensee and a certified teacher of Progressions in Ballet Technique. She has also been a trainee teacher mentor for the Royal Academy of Dance. She has over 40 years of teaching experience and recently has been awarded life membership of the Royal Academy of Dance.
Sue’s film credits include International Velvet. Theatre Credits include Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, and Night and Day. She has also worked on Choreography alongside Wayne Sleep.
Sue is married to Chris and has two grown-up children both have gone on to become successful dancers. The whole family is involved with the dancing school.
Although able to teach all forms of dance she now concentrates on ballet and producing the school’s annual pantomime, along with the school’s administration.
“I love watching our students progress, grow and develop into adults and feel proud to be part of their lives. I was honored to be at the helm of the school for our Centenary year in 2018.”
TEACHERS
Kirsty Nicholson
Kirsty Nicholson trained at the Geraldine Lamb Dance School and continued her training at the Royal Academy of Dance gaining a BA(Hons) Degree in the Art and Teaching of Ballet. She has also qualified for her Licentiate of the RAD. Kirsty holds the associate teaching qualification of the ISTD and Acrobatic Arts level 1 teacher and Modules 1 and 2 in Alixa Flexibility. She also has BCPA level 3 qualification to teach Pilates and a further Degree in Social Studies and Criminal Justice! She has three children.
Kirsty has performed for Roy Castle and danced alongside Wayne Sleep. She has also performed at the Royal Festival Hall.
Kirsty initiated the Classes at Hyde Park Primary School and has recently introduced Acro Dance to the school all of which are extremely successful. This year she is running a pilot to offer GCSE dance to our students.
“I love teaching for the school because our pupils are keen to learn and support each other, GLDS feels like one big happy family.”
Lara Cook
Lara is Geraldine Lamb’s great-granddaughter. After training at the Geraldine Lamb Dance School, she went to Stella Mann College and then Italia Conti Arts Centre. She worked as a Redcoat while she was still at college. On leaving, she performed as a professional dancer and entertainer with Disney Cruise Line sailing all over the world. Television credits include Down to Earth with the BBC.
Lara was thrilled to be offered a place on the Royal Academy of Dance Professional Dancers Teaching Diploma, which she successfully completed in 2016. Lara is also a certified DDMIX instructor trained by Darcy Bussell. She is LAMDA registered and has successfully introduced Speech and Drama to the school. She is a teaching member of the ISTD.
Lara also teaches for the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.
Lara is our Designated Safe Guarding Officer.
“Teaching at the Geraldine Lamb Dance School is wonderful, it's an honour to be a part of my family's business. All the students of every age bring a smile to my face, with their dedication, passion, and hard work. It's a delight to walk into class every single lesson.”
Cerys Brady
Cerys has recently graduated from Bird College, a musical theatre and performing arts institute located in London.
She began dancing at the Geraldine Lamb Dance School at the age of three. During her time at the school, she completed many dance festivals, championships, and All England competitions.
She trained as a Royal Ballet Junior Associate for three years before gaining a full scholarship to attend the Hammond School for Performing Arts in Chester. Here, she studied vocational dance alongside her academic subjects for five years. During her time at Hammond, Cerys became the youngest ever student to gain their Advanced 2 Tap in the lower school.
At the age of 16, Cerys was awarded a DADA to further her training at Bird College. In her first year at Bird, she completed her ISTD DDI Tap teacher qualification and more recently completed her ISTD DDE Modern teaching qualification.
Over the years, Cerys has taught at many GLDS Summer and Easter Schools, held private lessons and adult tap classes.
"GLDS has always been like an extended family to me. Now being a member of the faculty brings a whole new level of excitement as I watch the next generation discover their love of dance and performing".
0ur teachers are full of ideas, both artistically and practically - ensuring the school runs smoothly. They have a wealth of professional dance & drama experience, which alongside their many years of experience teaching they love sharing.
As well as dance teachers, they are also hairdressers, costume designers, seamstresses, prop makers, cleaners, dressers, stage managers, and most importantly they are someone who our students' trust.
All our teachers hold a current DBS certificate and are insured. They also attended Continued Professional Development courses amounting to at least 20 hours a year, to ensure their qualifications are kept up to date.
Our dance school would not be what it is today without our wonderful teachers both past and present.
We can honestly say we have;